{"thread":{"id":"15432","subject":"Git merge default?","startedAt":"2008-09-08T18:03:29Z","lastAt":"2008-09-08T18:03:29Z","messageCount":1,"participants":["Gareth Adams"],"isPatch":false,"patchVersion":null,"patchTotal":null},"messages":[{"id":"90113","messageId":"loom.20080908T180107-59@post.gmane.org","threadId":"15432","inReplyTo":null,"subject":"Git merge default?","fromName":"Gareth Adams","fromEmail":"gareth.adams@gmail.com","sentAt":"2008-09-08T18:03:29Z","receivedAt":"2008-09-08T18:03:29Z","isPatch":false,"sender":{"key":"gareth.adams@gmail.com","avatar":null},"body":"Sorry that this is cross posted to git-users but I didn't realise how low\ntraffic that list was.\n\nWhy doesn't `git merge` default to the tracked branch in the same way\ne.g. `git push` does?\n\nOften I find myself performing a pull, and when I switch branch I'm\ntold that \"Your branch is behind the tracked remote branch 'origin/\nmaster' by 12 commits\". However, despite git knowing where my branch\nis based and how far away it is, I still have to specify `git merge\norigin/master` to perform the merge.\n\nIt's been pointed out that another `git pull` will usually have the\nsame effect, but it seems that this introduces a redundant fetch, and\nto be honest I couldn't work out whether the pull would fail if the\nremote repo was unavailable for any reason.\n\nObviously this is a really minor point, and it doesn't exactly affect\nmy working day for more than a few seconds, but I was curious what I\nwas missing that such a complete package as git had this little\ninternal inconsistency.\n\nTIA,\nGareth\n"}]}